


Inside Of You Lies a Rainbow

by verboseDescription



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Family, Mentions of past abuse, Recovery, background drakepad, lena mcquack au, like theyre super in love but we already knew that, sometimes a family is two nd trans guys, who also moonlight as superheroes and have very cool daughters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 12:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20741930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription
Summary: Lena isn't Drake Mallard's daughter, but she is living in his house. It's a change that surprises everyone, herself included. Lena never expected normalcy. But somehow, living with a family of superheroes is giving her just that.It helps, she thinks, that they feel the same





	Inside Of You Lies a Rainbow

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this waaaaay before the bomb aired, but then I changed some stuff because new episodes meant new lore, but I still wanted to write this. Mainly because I thought it was a fun way to get my Lena headcanons and my Drake headcanons out in one place but also sometimes meeting an adult who's like "yeah I haven't spoken to my family in years and tbh I'm better off for it" can be like. really healing
> 
> this starts about a month or so after season 2's over, but also at the beginning of the school year. if that doesn't align with the ducktales timeline then, well, whoops

Lena isn’t Drake Mallard’s daughter, but she is living in his house.

It’s not _ that _important of a distinction to make, honestly, but it’s important to her. 

It’s not like Lena _ needs _a family, anyways. She has people who care about her. This is just…

A fresh start.

So, _ yes, _ Launchpad’s legally her dad now, but there’s no need to be _ weird _about it. Lena wanted to move out of McDuck Manor, and Launchpad was moving out to live with his boyfriend. And yeah, they’re making her go to school like a normal teen, but thanks to the documents Beakley forged, it’s not really an issue.

Lena’s kind of excited about meeting other teenagers. She never really had the chance to do normal teen stuff when she was with Magica. 

But Lena’s starting to think she might have made a mistake. She hadn’t counted on Launchpad taking his new title as her dad so seriously.

Lena doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do with family when the only guardian she ever had convinced her to go on some convoluted revenge plot and destroy the city.

They’re not trying to force her into anything. They’re just… so _ nice. _

When Lena first moved in, Launchpad and Drake both helped her set up her room. Even Gosalyn came by to offer her help, and to teach Lena how to play hockey, though it was clear the girl didn’t know how she should feel about Lena’s arrival. The thing was, Lena didn’t either. As soon as they started unpacking, Lena was hit by a sudden sense of how _ wrong _the whole thing felt. It didn’t feel like an adoption, whatever that was supposed to feel like. It felt like she was third-wheeling an entire family. Like she was just an extra piece in an already completed puzzle. It’s like they’re a perfectly normal family, and then there’s Lena, who’s somehow attached herself to them.

And she _ knows _ they’re not a normal family. Because Drake’s somehow just as stupidly honest as Launchpad, and gives away his secret identity, just like that! Because they’re _ family. _ Because a good family doesn’t keep secrets. They _ trust _each other, and clue their kids in on the outrageous amount of superheroics they’ve been doing in their free time.

Drake had said he hadn’t wanted to hide who he was from his family.

Wanting to tell the truth is an almost foreign concept to Lena. Wanting to tell _ your family _the truth feels even stranger. 

It’s like… everyone expects so much of her. And yeah, Lena knows she’s not Magica. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to be a great daughter.

Or a good big sister.

Gosalyn doesn’t expect anything specific from Lena, but them living together means they’re siblings. Lena doesn’t know why, but that makes her _ so angry. _

It’s stupid. Lena knows it’s stupid. She was the one who agreed to move in in the first place, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be the only kid living there. And she had tried to be nice, she really did. She _ wanted _to be Gosalyn’s friend. She wanted to prove that she could make at least one friend the normal way. But she can’t.

It’s not Gosalyn’s fault, but the first time they finally get around to having a real conversation, Lena can feel her throat close up. She can’t get the words she wants out. They’re blocked by bile and fear. 

When Gosalyn asks if Lena wants to learn how to play hockey, Lena wants to say that she’s never played a sport in her life, but if it’s violent, she’s down to try. Instead want comes out of her mouth is that she doesn’t care about sports because she’s not a dumb jock.

“Fine then,” Gosalyn says, rolling her eyes. “Have fun doing nerd stuff.”

“As long as you’re not here, I’ll have the time of my life,” Lena snorts. Internally she’s screaming at herself. Can’t you be nice just this once, you _ asshole? _

“Well, that’s not very nice,” Launchpad says. Lena looks down.

“I don’t have to be nice if she isn’t!” Gosalyn protests.

“I’ve got better things to do than play nice with some _ twirp,” _ Lena huffs, and heads towards her room. She regrets what she’s said long before she slams her door, but she doesn’t apologize. She knows that it’d be the right thing to do. But when’s Lena ever done anything _ right? _

Lena wasn’t meant to be a good big sister. She didn’t know how to look out for anyone else, and she wasn’t going to be a good influence. 

When Launchpad comes up to get her, Lena wants to tell him that they should stop pretending she could ever be a good daughter. That they should leave before Lena finds a way to ruin their real kid, because she _ will. _Causing problems is the one thing she knows how to do.

Instead, Lena tells him that she doesn’t know how to be nice. And Launchpad, with his dumb and trusting eyes tells her that’s okay.

“We all have things we’re bad at,” he says. “But I can’t let you take that out on Gos. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Lena says. “I know.”

  
  


Before Lena moved in with Drake, she’d been living in the loft attached to Webby’s room. For such a large building, the manor had surprisingly few real rooms, but Lena honestly hadn’t minded. Her new room already had a lot more space than any other place Lena had crashed in, so she figured it was already a pretty great improvement. Besides, she was getting three meals a day, and living with her best friend, so really, what did she have to complain about?

Plus, they said that she could stay with them forever, just as long she wasn’t the kind of asshole she was when Magica was around.

“I want you to know that I am in no way judging you when I say this,” Beakley had said. “But it can be very easy for anyone to revert back into old ways, no matter how destructive they may be. All I ask is that you be mindful of this, and find someone to talk to if you feel you are struggling.”

So Lena nods and thinks to herself _ don’t be petty, don’t be mean, don’t be rude _, because she knows those three things are all she knows how to do. 

If she says it enough, maybe it’ll turn into a spell. 

  


So…

Friends.

Yeah, Lena’s not really making them.

Her school is filled with losers, and it’s aggravatingly similar to the semester she spent at boarding school when she still lived in Italy. And this time around, she can’t get herself kicked out. Well, she _ could, _ but it wouldn’t really fix anything. And if she gets kicked out, it’ll probably just lead to weird rumors spreading, and that’s _ really _ not going to help her make friends.

“Maybe I should just get homeschooled,” Lena muses. “I mean, how am _ I _ supposed to act like one of _ them? _ What am I supposed to say if someone asks where I moved from? It’s not like I can just go, ‘well, I _ used _to be a shadow creature under the command an evil witch, so I didn’t really go to school! But hey, don’t worry, I promise I’m a good guy now!’”

“We won’t make you go to school if you really don’t want to,” Drake says.

“You won’t?”

“I mean, it’d be easier, sure, but if you really can’t do it, then we can’t force you,” Drake says. “I mean, I _ hated _high school. I was bullied constantly. I’d give anything not to deal with that again.”

“And I moved around constantly as a kid!” Launchpad adds. “Hard to make any friends when you know you’ll have to deal with the inevitable pain of leaving. Really tore me up inside!”

“So we get what you’re going through, is what we’re trying to say,” Drake finishes. “Just… give it a shot first, okay? Maybe try and make it through the year?”

“It kind of sounds like you both hated school, though,” Lena points out.

“I didn’t!” Launchpad says. “All of life has it’s ups and downs, you know? Sure I said a lot of goodbyes, but I also made a bunch of great friends.”

“Honestly, thanks to a mix of bullying, dysphoria, and self hatred, I kind of blocked out all of high school, so I can’t really tell you it’s going to be worth it or anything,” Drake says. “I _ did _have a lot of fun in science class, though. I remember that.”

“You know what?” Lena says. She’s not sure how to process Drake’s statement. “If you made it through high school, I think I can too.”

“That’s the spirit!” Launchpad cheers.

And that’s the end of that conversation.

But even if she can handle school, Lena’s starting to think maybe she doesn’t really want to make new friends. After all, she already knows a couple of pretty cool people. It’s not her fault the high schoolers she knows can’t measure up.

What does she know about what teenagers like, anyways? The only TV she’s watched is what’s been on in McDuck Manor, and the only music she’s listened to is what she’s heard walking down the street, or from the couple of CDs she managed to smuggle that she listened to on a music player she rescued from a dumpster.

Yeah. Being a homeless teenager for fifteen years didn’t make you really relatable. Lena doubted that the kids at her school were as excited about Ottoman Empire as Louie was.

“You don’t have to have a lot in common to be friends,” Launchpad tells her one day. “You just need to have one thing you do together.”

“The only thing I know about is the dark arts,” Lena deadpans. “I don’t think you want anyone calling you and Drake up to say I’m turning their kids into Satanists.”

“Hey, as long as it means you’re having fun,” Launchpad says. “I’m not going to force you into anything, but I’d really like to know someone’s got your back at school.”

  


Outside of school, though, Lena’s doing pretty well. Before Lena had come to live with them, Gosalyn had spent at least a solid month of begging to be allowed onto Drake and Launchpad’s nightly capers, so it was pretty easy for Lena to convince them to bring her along, too. It’s not that Lena’s dying to be a superhero or anything, but it feels nice to do good, you know? 

Besides, she barely knows anything about Darkwing Duck, other than that it’s a kind of okay show. She deserves to know what kind of wacky hijinks they’ve all been getting up before she came along, and Drake’s more than happy to let her tag along.

“It’ll be educational,” he had said. “A good opportunity to learn some deductive reasoning skills.”

“Or I could just blast all your enemies with magic,” Lena offered. “If you give me a few days, I could probably dig up a couple of artifacts for you guys, too.”

“Keen gear,” Gosalyn said, impressed.

“How about we _ don’t _choose the option that leaves us with two teenagers with unimaginable power?” Drake replied. “Besides, we don’t need all that. After all, a hero’s greatest weapon is their mind!”

It’s a cheesy thing to say, but Lena gets it. Sometimes, it’s really easy to help people.

Maybe Lena can’t apologize to everyone she’s screwed over, but she can still save someone from a purse snatcher or whatever, even if Drake and Launchpad get super anxious about her or Gosalyn getting hurt. He never lets them in on the _ real _action, which on one hand makes him like, the one responsible adult Lena knows, but also, Lena’s a powerful magician. She’d be fine on her own.

There’s a surprisingly long list of rules for crime fighting, actually. No getting _ really _dangerous until you’re eighteen, no fighting supervillains without permission, and no using super villains as an excuse to stay up past your bedtime, no fighting villains with magical artifacts, especially if they’re cursed (and it’s like, come on! Lena knows what she’s doing), and to never fight crime without a mask. This last one seems to apply to everyone but Launchpad, which is kind of weird, but Launchpad’s an adult who can do what he wants, and is also, in all fairness, normally the one driving and kind of hidden from view.

But because the glow of Lena’s magic constantly gives her position away, she needs a secret identity. And because Lena doesn’t care about that kind of thing, Gosalyn offers to do it for her.

“Before I got to go out with Dad as Quiverwing, I used the name Scarlet Quackett for a while,” Gosalyn says. “I got a whole costume and everything.”

“I’m not sure I’d fit into any of your clothes,” Lena says. “Also, considering I have purple magic blasts, ‘scarlett’ _ miiiight _not be a great fit.”

“Well, purple’s hard to come up with a name for,” Gosalyn replies. “I mean, I don’t wanna call you the Pomegranate Plumage.”

“That’s a terrible name.”

“The Plum Peregrine!”

“Plum doesn’t sound any cooler than purple,” Lena says.

“Well, we can go back to the name later,” Gosalyn says. “You still need a costume.”

Gosalyn pulls out a notebook and looks up at Lena.

“Oh, I have to make it?” Lena asks. “Uh. I dunno. Something loose, I guess. And if I’m going to get all dressed up, I might as well look cool. Give me skulls or something.”

“You should have something covering your head too,” Gosalyn says as she scribbles down notes. “You’ve got a pretty unique hair style. Maybe you should have a hat, too.”

“No way,” Lena replies. “I don’t want to be another mini Darkwing. Give me a hood instead.”

“I’ve got it!” Gosalyn says. She jumps off the chair she’d been sitting on, startling Lena. “Uh, sorry. But I figured out the perfect name. We shouldn’t’ve tried to push a color onto you. You should be the Peregrine Shadow!”

Lena frowns as Gosalyn puffs her chest out, clearly proud of the name she’d thought of.

“I’m not a shadow,” Lena says. “I’m a person.”

“It’s just a name,” Gosalyn frowns. “It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“No I mean..,” Lena trails off. Gosalyn had probably forgotten_. _Lena hadn’t mentioned it in a while, after all. “It means a lot. To me.”

“_ Ohhhh _,” Gosalyn’s eyes widen. “Right. Well, I know it’s not the same, but Dad was bullied for liking Darkwing Duck, and he still uses the name. But you don’t gotta do something just cuz he does.”

“That’s why he was bullied?” Lena says. “That’s…”

“Only _ one _of the reasons,” Gosalyn says. “Maybe that makes it easier, I dunno.”

“I don’t think it does,” Lena says. “But when I lived with my aunt, she was always telling me how I didn’t matter because all I was was a part of her.”

“She’s _ stupid,” _Gosalyn declares. “But a shadow doesn’t have to be nothing just cuz she says so. I think they’d be a great superhero.”

Gosalyn flips her notebook around, showing a sketch of a costume. It looks… pretty cool, especially for a sketch drawn in such a short amount of time. Instead of a cape, there was a cloak, attached to the costume with a skull to keep it in place and her hero suit looked like an actual suit. Definitely worthy of the name peregrine.

“Peregrine Shadow is a pretty cool name,” Lena admits.

Gosalyn pumps her fist.

“I’m going to make you the _ coolest _ super witch in the world,” she declares.

“You don’t have to go that far,” Lena says. Something about Gosalyn’s enthusiasm makes her uncomfortable. “I mean, it’s just me.”

“Yeah,” Gosalyn frowns. “And it’s just me trying to something nice for my _ sister,” _

“You don’t have to call me that.”

“But why _ shouldn’t _I?” Gosalyn asks. Lena flounders, unable to respond. “Because I think if we’re a family, I should be able to say that.”

“I just mean, you don’t have to call me anything if you don’t want to,” Lena says. “It’s probably weird that I just kinda showed up.”

“It’s not weird,” Gosalyn says. “They’re not gonna take it back, you know. They didn’t take _ me _back.”

Lena tries to protest that that wasn’t what she was worried about, but Gosalyn laughs and goes back to adding to her notebook.

“Anyways, do you want pockets?” Gosalyn asks. “Dad’s got some sewn into the inside of his cape, but I dunno if you’ve got some kinda magical pocket dimension you can put stuff in.”

“I think my room’d be a lot cleaner if I could do something like that,” Lena jokes.

  
  


_ Before Lena had met the McDuck family, she rarely ate. She was a shadow, after all. And a magical creature. Even though she needed food, she could survive with less. Or at least, that was what Magica had always told her. It hadn’t stopped the hunger pains in Lena’s stomach, but Magica had told her that there was no use complaining about that. Either she could go crawling through disgusting trash to find a meal, or she could get the food a magician of their status deserved. _

_ “I’m not going to use magic to take someone’s food,” Lena argued. _

_ “Magic isn’t your only option,” Magic replied, already bored of the conversation. “If you want something, you must take it for yourself. It doesn’t matter if that thing is food, or a magical artifact! You must have some strength in you. There are plenty of children running around with lunches lovingly packed by a mother or a father. Just take one.” _

_ “Can’t I just… ask them to, I don’t know, share?” _

_ “Oh, you stupid girl,” Magica sighed. “No one in this world is ever going to give _ you _ anything.” _

_ It was true. Magica hadn’t even given her anything. The amulet, yes, but that was a loan. Lena even had to name herself. And if her own family wouldn’t look out for her, who would? _

_ It was ridiculous to pretend life would care about people like Lena. _

  
  
  


It’s about a month after Lena moves in with Drake that she sees Webby again. When he and Launchpad had first met, they had spent almost every day with Beakley, doing something they explained away as only, “Darkwing superfan business.” At the time, Lena hadn’t put two and two together, but now that she knew Drake was Darkwing, Lena had a pretty good sense of what was going on. Thanks to her time following Webby around as a shadow, Lena knew that Beakley had been a spy, which meant that Darkwing Duck probably was one too.

Or maybe they had all just come because the McDucks were their friends. Not everything had to be part of a high stakes adventure.

Whatever the reason, Gosalyn’s clearly excited. She’s practically bouncing with energy by the time they pull into the driveway.

“And you used to _ live _here?” Gosalyn asks. 

“It’s a pretty wild place,” Launchpad says wistfully. “I’ll bet you’d love it. There’s never a dull moment with Mr. McDee and his family.”

Beakley’s at the door to greet them. She seems more serious than usual, but smiles at Gosalyn.

“Hello,” Beakley says. “I believe we’ve met before. Do you remember me?”

“You’re the secret agent lady,” Gosalyn says. “Have you ever killed anyone before?”

“What an adorable child,” Beakley says with a laugh. “My granddaughter should be downstairs shortly, if you--”

“You’re here!” Webby screams, running outside to greet Lena by launching herself at her friend. “I missed you so much!”

“Missed you too, Pink,” Lena laughs. “But it’s barely been a month.”

“And you’re so bad at _ texting,” _ Webby cries. “It’s like I haven’t seen you in _ forever.” _

“Heya Webby,” Launchpad says.

“Hi Launchpad!” Webby says back. She turns to Gosalyn. “You’re Mr. Mallard’s daughter, right? Hi, I’m Webby!”

“Hey.”

“Why don’t you show the girls to your room?” Beakley asks. “The three of us have much to discuss.”

Webby nods, and starts chattering on about all the crazy stuff she’s been up to since Lena last saw her.

“And Violet says her dads can drop her off later so all of us can hang out together and it’ll be _ so fun!” _Webby shrieks. “We’ve been looking into summoning spells, and we could really use your help looking it over!”

“You’re doing _ real magic?” _Gosalyn gasps.

“I have ‘real magic,’” Lena reminds her. “You’ve seen it.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know anyone could do it!” Gosalyn says. “I thought you were just weird.”

“Right now, we’re working on an intricate ritual to bring an all knowing creature into our world so that it can tell us all the secrets of the universe,” Webby says. “Want to help?”

_ “Yes!” _Gosalyn screams.

“Hey, did Mrs. B seem a little weird to you?” Lena cuts in. “Kinda figured she’d look more happy, seeing her Darkwing fanclub’s back together.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Webby says hesitantly. “I mean, we’ve been seeing a lot more of the Beagle Boys lately, so she probably just wants to make sure you guys are okay. Plus, there’s been reports about a masked duck running around…”

This makes Gosalyn stiffen. Oh, this was definitely a Darkwing Duck thing. Lena was just out of the loop, as usual.

“I’m sure she just doesn’t want any of Uncle Scrooge’s enemies bothering you guys,” Webby adds. “Anyways, the boys are out with their mom, so we’ve got pretty much the entire place to ourselves!”

“Does that mean I can skateboard down all the stairs?” Gosalyn asks.

“Do it,” Lena says. Gosalyn looks surprised, then scowls, as if this is part of some scheme Lena has cooked up specifically to get her in trouble. It’s not. Lena just wants to see what would happen.

“I’m not sure Uncle Scrooge would like that,” Webby says. “Or my Granny. Or Mr. Mallard!”

“Oh, Drake has to be fine with it,” Lena laughs. “He’s done _way _stupider stuff.”

“Really?” Webby asks. “Like what?”

Gosalyn and Lena look at their feet for a moment, desperately trying to think of something that doesn’t involve Darkwing Duck. Just because Beakley knew Drake’s secret identity didn’t mean she told Webby.

“I’ve seen him do lotsa tricks on his motorcycle,” Gosalyn says. “And he’s only crashed like, three times doing them.”

_ “Mr. Mallard has a motorcycle?” _Webby asks, mouth open. So that’s a “no” on knowing about Darkwing, then.

“Of course he does,” Lena says. “If Darkwing Duck has one, then he wants it too.”

They never do get around to summoning anything, but they’re getting close. They have to stop after about ten minutes because Gosalyn starts getting antsy once she realizes that the summoning involves a lot of reading. Violet and Webby don’t mind. For them, it’s not really about _ what _they’re doing, but who they’re doing it with. And like, gross, affection or whatever, but since they already explored the mansion before Violet arrived, they might as well try and show Gosalyn around Duckburg.

“I guess we should probably go find Beakley or whatever so they know we didn’t get kidnapped,” Lena says. “Uh… Where’d they go again?”

“I think I see them outside?” Gosalyn offers. “Mrs. Beakley looks like she’s beating Dad up.”

“Oh, probably just helping him brush up on his self defense,” Webby says.

“Is this… a common practice?” Violet asks hesitantly.

“He’s an actor,” Lena says with a shrug. “They’re always going on about realism and stuff.”

“I think Granny broke his fist,” Webby says. The girls all wince.

They get to the main staircase when Lena hears Beakley saying something in a low voice. Lena pushes her friends back and shushes them.

“You know, this is one of the reasons I keep telling you two to be careful,” Beakley says gently. “You’re motivated, yes, but you’re both still amateurs.”

“That doesn’t mean we can just _ ignore _something happening right in front of us!” Drake insists. “Or something that could be happening… because of us.”

“As usual, your sense of justice is commendable,” Beakley sighs. “But this foe may be on a slightly different level than those you’re typically used to.”

“What do you mean?” Launchpad asks.

“I mean that many villains operate on some kind of code,” Beakley says. “They may want to cause harm, but they all have their limits. It’s easy for me to send my granddaughter out on adventures because I know Scrooge rarely encounters a creature completely devoid of morals. But you two have.”

Gosalyn looks uncomfortable. Lena’s starting to feel bad for snooping. Whatever Darkwing’s caught up in, she’s not sure she wants to know anymore.

“What are we supposed to do, then?” Drake demands. “Just let him _ go?” _

“Let me handle him,” Beakley says. “You’re forgetting, you’re not the only one in this city capable of bringing someone to justice. There’s no need to endanger yourself so needlessly.”

Gosalyn takes off like a shot and starts running towards Webby’s room. She pushes Violet out of her way, which leads to Violet falling onto Webby, who squawks in surprise.

“Webbigial?” Beakley calls. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me!” Webby says, walking into view. “Sorry. We were gonna ask if we could go outside, but I, uh, think Gosalyn changed her mind.”

“I see…,” Beakley says slowly. Webby fiddles with her hair.

“Yeah, great talk Tea Time, but we lost Gos in one of the halls, so we should probably go make sure she hasn’t fallen into some other dimension or something,” Lena says, herding her friends away.

“Della and her sons should be coming home soon,” Beakley says. “Scrooge as well. Do come down again once you find her. I’m sure everyone would love to meet her.”

“Is your hand hurt?” Violet calls as Lena continues to shove her down the hall.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Drake says. He gives her a thumbs up. “I’ve had worse.”

Violet’s obviously weirded out by the conversation they had all heard, but she keeps quiet as they walk back to Webby’s room. Magic, it seems, Violet can handle just fine. Ask her to summon a demon, and she’ll do it without question. But the thought of actual duck on duck violence had clearly upset her. Or no, not the violence itself, but the lack of structure to it. Whoever Drake was fighting, he wasn’t someone who could be defeated with reason and that… it was kind of terrifying.

When they get to Webby’s room, Gosalyn’s going through the backpack she had brought and muttering to herself.

“Kid,” Lena says. “What are you _ doing?” _

“Looking for my arrows,” Gosalyn says. “If there’s something dangerous in Duckburg, I’m not going to let Dad go look for it alone.”

“He’s got Launchpad,” Lena says. 

“Perhaps we should let you two talk this out?” Violet suggests. “As… sisters?”

“Oh, I’d love to,” Gosalyn says. “But I know she doesn’t think we’re sisters.”

“Where’s this coming from?” Lena asks. “I said you could call me ‘sis!’ I just wanted you to know that you didn’t have to! And I’ve been nice! Haven’t I?”

“Yeah, you’re real polite,” Gosalyn says. “That’s the _ problem. _ You’re not supposed to act like you’re hanging out at a friend’s house. Our house is supposed to be _ your _house. But you don’t want it.”

“No one made me move in!” Lena protests. “I came because I wanted to.”

“Lots of people want homes,” Gosalyn scoffs. She closes her backpack and throws it aside. “Doesn’t mean they all want a family.”

“Maybe you should take that as a compliment,” Lena says. She steps closer, ready to ask _ how dare she _, when Webby grabs her arm.

“What were you looking for in your bag?” Webby asks. Her voice is calm and steady, two things Lena’s really not feeling at the moment.

“My arrows,” Gosalyn responds. “But I can’t find ‘em.”

“Why… were you going to bring arrows here?” Violet asks.

“I dunno what you guys get up to.”

“Honestly, the way things go around here, I’m kind of surprised we didn’t need it,” Lena says. “But I mean, this is good, right? Now you can’t go and do something really stupid.”

Gosalyn’s quiet for a moment.

“Webby’s got a grappling hook,” she says.

“Yeah, and she’s not going to give it to you!” Lena tells her.

“Stop trying to boss me around!” Gosalyn says. “I don’t care if you think I’m stupid, I care about _ Dad. _ He won’t even bring me with him if he thinks Negaduck’s out! I need to… I mean, I’ve got to do _ something.” _

“He’s got Launchpad,” Lena says slowly.

_ “That doesn’t mean I can’t freak out!” _ Gosalyn shouts. Lena takes a step back. “This is what I’m _ saying! _ You don’t get it. He’s my _ dad. _And he’s super strong and cool, but he needs me!”

“I never said I didn’t want to help!” Lena says. “But what are we supposed to do? Yeah, I’ve got magic, but when’s that ever made a situation better? At least Launchpad knows how to handle himself. If we get involved, we’re just going to make them do something stupid, like worry about us.”

“I believe your father would appreciate it more,” Violet adds. “If you came up with a plan of action _ before _going straight to violence.”

“I can do that,” Gosalyn says hesitantly.

“We can do that,” Webby tells her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “But first, uh… maybe you should explain who Negaduck actually is?”

“He’s a duck with a chainsaw,” Gosalyn says, with surprising nonchalance. “You know how dangerous guys like that are.”

“You know what?” Lena says. “I don’t think I do.”

“You really want to know?” Gosalyn asks. “Because if I tell you, you can’t back out.”

“Drake and Launchpad said it was my choice if I wanted to fight,” Lena says. “They said I could back out any time.”

“Of course you _ can,” _Gosalyn says. “But you won’t.”

Gosalyn always looked at Lena like she understood her. And this time, Lena couldn’t argue.

She had always brushed off crime fighting as just another adventure. A bad guy spots you, there’s some chases and maybe a scraped knee or two, but no real danger. But this was real danger. How could she just go home and pretend nothing happened when she knew Launchpad, the guy who had given her a _ home _ was in real danger? From _ a duck with a chainsaw. _She knew real danger. She knew how frightening it was to be living with the threats above your head and she knew how hard it was to face alone.

Of course, Darkwing Duck didn’t face his fears alone. The one doing that was Gosalyn Mallard. She’d be the one waiting at home, knowing full well the danger her fathers were in. And if they went out, she had no one.

No one but Lena. And if all she had was Lena, then… 

“I want to help,” Lena says softly. Gosalyn raises an eyebrow, and Lena gives her a wavering smile. “I mean, I want to help you. We’re family, aren’t we?”

  
  


_ Lena’s existed for exactly two years before Magica starts trying to send her out after magical artifacts. _

_ “I thought you wanted me to get to Duckburg?” Lena asked. _

_ “A weakling such as yourself stands no chance against the might of Scrooge McDuck,” Magica replied. “Honestly, as much as it pains me to admit it--and it does pain me a great deal--you’re simply not ready. Duckburg is not just another town. It would eat you alive, child, and as amusing as that would be to see, I do still need you.” _

_ Lena frowned at the necklace projecting her aunt’s voice. _

_ “So what do I do?” she asked. _

_ “You prepare yourself,” Magica said. “Magical artifacts are not easy to find, as I’m sure you’re aware. You will suffer, of course, but hopefully you will also grow stronger. Lucky for you, the closest artifact is housed by idiots. Taking it from them shouldn’t even require any bloodshed.” _

_ “I’m going to have to fight?” Lena cried. Magica laughed. _

_ “My dear,” she said. “You will be fighting for the rest of your life.” _

  
  


The triplets, of course, are overjoyed to see Launchpad back at the Manor. And they are, as Beakley had said they’d be, excited to meet Gosalyn.

“What’s it like having Launchpad for a dad?” Dewey asks. “I bet he’s the _ coolest.” _

“He’s not,” Gosalyn says. “Dad’s cooler.”

“Um, have you missed all of the _ amazing _stuff he’s done?” Dewey says, fully prepared to list them out for her.

“I know he’s super cool,” Gosalyn rolls her eyes. “I’m just saying, Dad’s cooler.”

“Thanks, kiddo,” Drake says. He sounds touched.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Della says. She sounds mostly sincere. “And Launchpad. It’s been a while.”

“Sure has!” Launchpad replies, grinning. “Bet you guys have been doing tons of cool stuff without me.”

“We’ve actually been spending a lot more time in Duckburg,” Huey says. “There’s been an increase in… well, a lot of things, actually. Uncle Scrooge thinks that someone’s planning something, and Webby’s been tracking the Beagle Boys. Plus, there’s been a couple of pirate sitings online? So we should all probably watch out for that.”

“Yeah, Mrs. B said something about that,” Launchpad nods. “Glad you guys are doing okay!”

“We’ll be doing better once we find out why everything’s gotten so crazy,” Della says. “Like, are the stars not in alignment? Did we get cursed again?”

“I haven’t seen any Beagle Boys,” Gosalyn offers.  
“Ugh!” Della groans. “Knew it. We’re cursed.”

“We live on the other side of town,” Drake says. “Everyone knows there’s no Beagle Boys there.”

“Still,” Gosalyn says. She pulls out a magnifying glass from her backpack. “Smells like a mystery to me.”

“Did you bring that just in case you had to make that joke?” Drake asks. “I love it.”

Gosalyn beams.

Lena shifts her legs as Launchpad continues his conversation. She’s feeling socially drained, and she really wants to go home so they can all talk about that Negaduck thing. According to Gosalyn, people considered him more of a myth than an actual problem, but that just meant Drake was probably prepared to run himself into the ground before anyone realized he had been a potential threat. Drake looks back at Lena and smiles.

“We should probably get going,” he tells Launchpad. “I don’t really want to be here when Scrooge gets back. He used to be my boss, it’d be kind of weird.”

“He was my boss too?” Launchpad says, but he lets Drake lead him out. “Sorry guys! I’ll be back Wednesday, we can hang out then.”

“Don’t run into any Beagle Boys on your way out!” Dewey says. He’s clearly disappointed, but hey, if he wanted to see Launchpad, he should have gotten home sooner.

“Seeya, twirps,” Lena says. “And Pink and Vi.”

“Do you need a ride home?” Drake asks Violet. Violet looks at him and hesitates. Learning that Drake was also Darkwing had really made her lose faith in his ability to drive safely.

“I am sure one of my fathers will be free,” she says. “I do thank you for the offer, however.”

“Anytime,” Drake tells her.

It actually takes them a while to leave, because Launchpad is terrible at goodbyes, no matter when he’s seeing someone next. Lena’s actually kind of tired by the time they get out. She ends up nodding off in the car, only for Gosalyn to shake her awake.

That’s right. Lena had something she was supposed to ask.

“So...,” Lena says. “What’s up with Negaduck?”

Drake lets out a noise of surprise, and Lena waits as he regains his grip on the car.

“This was _ not _the time to ask me that,” Drake scolds her. “There’s only so many times we can crash in a week!”

“You’re not crashing now,” Lena says. “So?”

“He’s,” Drake sighs. “We don’t know who he is, but we have an idea. And if we’re right, he’s doing this because of me. He doesn’t… _ want _ anything, not really. He’s just here because he wants me to be miserable. He wants _ everyone _miserable. And he doesn’t care what he has to do to Duckburg to make that happen.”

“So he’s dangerous,” Lena says. “I thought you didn’t care about stuff like that.”

“I do when it’s him,” Drake says. “And he’s not _ dangerous. _ Just evil. Whatever he’s planning on doing when he finds me, it’s not pretty.”

“What’d you even do to get him so mad at you anyways?” Gosalyn asks. Drake gives a shaky laugh.

“Well, apparently,” he says. “I ruined his career.”

  


Up until now, Lena had thought she had known all there was to know about Drake Mallard.

Drake Mallard makes his own smoke bombs. He’s gone skydiving. He knows like three different fighting styles, maybe more. He has a motorcycle license and knows how to make his own clothes. And Lena doesn’t just mean he knows how to _ sew. _No, he knows how to make the fabric itself.

And he knows all this because, apparently, his decision making process his entire life has always just been, “What Would Darkwing Duck Do?”

Basically, he’s Launchpad’s perfect man. No matter what else they’re doing, the conversation always turns to Darkwing. What episodes to rewatching, which of Darkwing’s catch phrases to say at what moment, or finding an extended version of the intro that they can listen to while they’re doing whatever it is they need to do that day.

Lena never knew that being an adult could be so fun.

She feels strangely betrayed to realize how much more there is to him. Like, okay, _ of course _she had known he was a superhero. He told her that her first night living with him, right before he and Launchpad went on patrol, but it still hadn’t felt real, not even when she was coming along with them. Drake Mallard wasn’t supposed to have a nemesis. He wasn’t supposed to be like the McDucks, who were so caught up with adventuring they made enemies like Magica every other day. He was supposed to be an unremarkable but quirky guy who had somehow stumbled into being a superhero in the same way someone else might trip on a rug.

He didn’t look like the kind of guy who had been attacked and then shoved into a closet by his lifelong idol. He looked… Well adjusted. Comparatively speaking, at least. But maybe that was just a symptom of being an actor.

“He really hates you, huh?” Gosalyn says. “But that’s stupid. It’s not your fault no one wanted to hire him!”

“Even if it’s stupid, it’s what he believes,” Drake sighs. “Look, it’ll be fine. He’s just a guy who hates me. I’ve dealt with that before.”

“Really?” Lena asks. He had mentioned being bullied, hadn’t he? Was ‘hate’ too strong of a word to use about that? Did adults even remember enough of their childhood to care about stuff like that? “You’re like, super likable. Even I like you.”

“Plenty of people have hated me for mainly superficial reasons,” Drake says. “I mean, obviously. Since we all know I’m the greatest.”

“You are,” Launchpad agrees.

“Anyways, my point is, Launchpad and I will handle this,” Drake says. “And Agent 22. The two of you should stay as far away from this as you can.”

“But he wants you dead!” Gosalyn exclaims.

“Doesn’t make him special,” Drake mutters.

“Don’t worry, Gos,” Launchpad says. “Your dad’s a superhero. And the good guys always win.”  
  


_ By the time Lena’s existed for seven years, she’s memorized a list of every creature Magica feels has wronged her. Because it’s not just Scrooge, oh no. That would be too easy. No, see, Magica’s full of hate. She’s petty, she’s mean, she’s rude, and she’s going to ruin the lives of everyone who’s even just looked at her wrong. Because, apparently, all powerful witches don’t have anything better to do. _

_ It had made her feel so old, listening to Magica. Lena was still fifteen, and was certain she’d stay fifteen for the rest of her life, but that didn’t change the fact that Magica had a very specific way of speaking that made Lena feel like she was the adult out of the two of them. _

_ Then again, maybe it was only natural she was starting to feel old. Even if Lena had started as fifteen, seven years had passed since then. Of course Lena would feel like she’s getting older. Of course her body would feel heavy at the thought of listening to another one of Magica’s rants, knowing that she’s have to fake sympathy for events that had undoubtedly been caused by her aunt being a bad person _.

But.

Lena’s starting to feel like a teenager now. A real one. She feels it when Drake makes her and Gosalyn promise not to do anything stupid, and feels it stronger when Launchpad asks, very earnestly, if she’s okay. They're practically a family. He cooks her _ breakfast. _

“You don’t gotta worry, kiddo,” Launchpad promises her. “We’re not going to let anyone like that find you guys.”

“I’m not worried,” Lena says. Launchpad takes a long look at her, and Lena feels like he can see right through her.

“You know,” he says finally. “I think the dye in your hair’s fading. You wanna get it redone?”

“My hair?” Lena repeats, running her hand through. “I didn’t know it could fade. I was starting to think it was some kinda birth defect, actually, since I’ve always had it.”

“Guess that just means you’re not a shadow anymore,” Launchpad says. He doesn’t seem worried about Negaduck anymore, but Lena knows that’s an act. She knows how much he loves Drake. Of _ course _he’s worried about someone hellbent on making Drake’s life miserable. He just… wants Gosalyn to be okay. And Lena. Because he doesn’t think kids should worry about stuff like this.

“Yeah,” Lena replies. “Guess not.”

Lena wouldn’t say she had been immortal, but she was pretty sure she could have lived forever as part of Magica. Being fifteen was a permanent condition. She could be cold, she could be hungry, she could be fighting back tears, but she’d always be fifteen. Lena had always assumed that it’d be the one part of her that’d never change. Either she’d live forever as Magica’s servant, or go back to being a non sentient, normal shadow. She hadn’t realized she could have options. She hadn’t realized she could have anything but a longing for any sort of life.

But now she has that. Not just the longing, but an actual, real life. 

She has a lot. She has so much that she’s not sure what to do with it. Being freed of the Shadow Realm is just a small part of that.

It’s frightening. It’s exhilarating, and it’s making her heart pound just thinking about it. But the truth is this:

Lena McQuack is growing up, and it makes her feel so, _ so _ young.

  


If she’s being honest, Lena had always thought of being a hero as a temporary thing. She’s obviously not like Darkwing. She doesn’t have any gadgets, and she doesn’t know Morse code or anything nerdy like that. She doesn’t even know how to shoot an arrow. But what she does have is all that knowledge she’s gathered from hitchhiking all the way to Duckburg from Italy, and that’s got to count for something.

Honestly though, being a hero mostly involves going on patrols where the most exciting thing that happens is Launchpad’s flying. Lena spends most of her time listening to Gosalyn talk while Drake looks at his daughter in complete adoration. It’s not hard to see why he’d let her come along. Even if something happened, the chances of it hurting Gos all the way up in the Thunderquack were pretty slim.

After about two hours, all they’ve done is stop a couple of purse snatchers and scold a litterer, but about halfway through Drake trying to convince Lena to join her school’s poetry club, they’re interrupted by a report of a rat wearing face paint attempting a bank heist with a robotic teddy bear.

“Keen gear,” Gosalyn says.

“That’s definitely...,” Drake hesitates. “Creative. Launchpad?”

“We’ll be there in less than a minute,” Launchpad promises. Gosalyn and Lena both clutch their seatbelts as Launchpad swerves.

“Oh, they were not kidding about the bear,” Lena says as the bank comes into view.

“Is that Quackerjack?” Drake asks. He sounds panicked.

“Quackerjack is a fictional character,” Gosalyn reminds him gently.

Still, it was clear that whoever they were after had used Quackerjack as an inspiration. In her hand, the rat held some kind of remote control shaped like a banana, just like the villain’s doll in the TV show. Her costume’s almost the exact same, but the colors are a bit off, and her pants are longer. She’s also added some pockets to them, and Lena is terrified to find out what kind of clown themed horrors are stashed inside. The biggest change is her make-up; white, with two red circles, one on each cheek. A distinctly clownish look, but not an incredibly Quackerjack one.

Drake appears above her, spreading his cape as he lands on the robotic bear.

“I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the roller coaster ride that slows down before a terrifying drop. I am…. _ Darkwing Duck!” _

“Heya Darkwing,” Quackerjack Rat says. “I was wondering if you’d show up. I’m Quackerjack…….. Two!”

“Really?” Drake asks. “You’re just… adding a two onto it?”

“No,” Quackerjack(pause)2 says. “I’m adding a _ dramatic pause _and a two. And hey, it’s more creative than you!”

“I don’t need a clever name,” Drake scoffs. “I’m Darkwing Duck! Now, cease your pitiful pilfering, or prepare for the consequences!”

“Hmmm…,” Quackerjack(pause)2 taps her finger on her chin, pretending to think about it. “No, I think I’m gonna just keep stealing. Feel free to try and stop my teddy, though. I’m sure that’ll be a laugh!”

Drake growls and pulls out his gas gun.

“I think you’ll find that I’m stronger than I look,” he saws, voice low in a very poor attempt at intimidation. Lena’s starting to feel bad about listening in from the Thunderquack, even though wearing a mic had been Drake’s idea. It feels like Quackerjack(pause)2 is just trying to make fun of him. Lena doesn’t need to watch her new dad get bullied. Gosalyn definitely doesn’t need to watch her dad get bullied.

Drake finds a way into the bear’s circut’s pretty easily, but Quackerjack doesn’t seem too worried. Instead, she clicks her heels together, making a set of wheels appear under her oversized shoes.

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Quackerjack calls as she starts to skate away.

“Hey, wait!” Drake protests. “You can’t just leave! I’ve got your bear! All the bank money’s with him!”

“Yeah, I know,” Quackerjack says. She presses a button on her banana. “Come on, Teddy! Let’s go.”

The bear tosses Drake off of its back and grows engines. Quackerjack hollers with joy and grabs onto one of the bear’s paws and speeds away. 

Thanks to Launchpad’s flying, Drake lands back in the Thunderquack, crashing into a worried Lena and Gosalyn, attempting to break his fall.

“You good, Dad?” Gosalyn asks. Drake looks out of breath.

“Follow that teddy bear!” he commands, one hand still clutching his hat.

It’s not hard for Launchpad to catch up to the bear, but Quackerjack notices pretty quickly that she’s being tailed and shoots some kind of Liquidator themed paint gun at the Thunderquack’s windshield.

“Don’t worry, DW, Doublejack’s not getting away from us that easy!” Launchpad says. As he activates the windshield wipers, he flies upwards in an attempt to avoid crashing into any buildings.

“Doublejack?” Drake repeats, pushing Lena and Gosalyn back towards their seats as the plane fumbles in the air.

“Calling her ‘Quackerjack dramatic pause two’ was giving me a headache.”

“I like it,” Drake says. “It’s a much better name.”

“Thanks,” Launchpad says.

He takes his hand off the steering wheel for barely more than a split second, and the Thunderquack crashes into Doublejack’s bear.

Lena rubs her head. She’s not injured--none of them are, actually, and the Thunderquack doesn’t seem that busted either--but the force from the crash gave her some serious whiplash. 

“Wow!” Lena can hear Doublejack laugh. “If you want the money so bad, you can have it!”

Drake runs out the door as soon as he hears her voice.

“Do we have to follow him?” Lena groans, but Gosalyn’s already heading out to find her dad. By the time Lena exits the Thunderquack, Drake’s pacing on the street while Launchpad walks behind him, trying to soothingly pat him on the back.

“She’s got flash grenade bouncy balls,” Gosalyn explains. “We couldn’t catch her because we couldn’t see.”

“Keen gear,” Lena says.

“That’s what I said!” Gosalyn says. “But now I think you’re gonna have to lead me back to the Thunderquack. I really can’t see anything.”

When the flash grenade wears off, they fly the teddy bear to the police. Officer Cabrera stares at Drake as he explains what happens, and Lena can swear she’s seconds away from telling him that he’s the reason she has to deal with a problem like Doublejack in the first place. Still, they accept the bear and ask Drake to describe Doublejack in as much detail as possible before sending them off.

“If we find any clues on her robot, we’ll call…,” Officer Cabrera pauses. “Well, I’ll call Launchpad. You thinking of any MO yet?”

“In the show, Quackerjack just wanted to have fun and also destroy any toy competition,” Drake says. “Especially video games. But she doesn’t really seem to care about that.”

“Yeah, she kind of looked happy to see us try and stop her,” Launchpad adds. “Like it was all a game or something.”

“Of course,” Officer Cabrera sighs. “_ Gracias por tu ayuda. _Let’s hope she doesn’t want to play again any time soon, yeah?”

They go home a little while after that. The Thunderquack is honestly fine. Whatever the bear was made of, the plane’s much stronger. The paint is scratched though, and Lena knows Launchpad’s bummed about that.

“We’re going to have to try and find who Doublejack really is,” Drake says. “The good thing is, there can’t be that many people out there with the ability to create weapons like that. So we should be looking at known weapons dealers, and engineers, and then cross reference that with rats aged mid twenties to… late thirties? Anyone who could have been watching Darkwing Duck.”

“I know the original Quackerjack never had any kids, but a part of me feels like she could be his long lost daughter, too,” Launchpad says. Drake pauses.

“I know she can’t be,” he says hesitantly. “But, oh man, what if? Or what if she’s _ Megavolt’s _kid?”

“Sounds like a lotta work,” Gosalyn says. “You’re okay, though, right Dad?”

“I’m fine!” Drake insists. “Not even sore. Which, I guess is kind of surprising, considering. Maybe it’s the adrenaline.”

“You’re really chill about that,” Lena says.

“What, getting injured? That’s not new,” Drake replies. “I’ve been getting hurt my whole life. Sometimes it was bullies or getting into fights, but sometimes I was just clumsy, or unlucky. I once spent a whole year with the same bruise on my knee because I kept getting hit in the same place. And only one of those times was because someone actually hit me!”

“Geez,” Gosalyn says.

“I used to have pretty bad balance as a kid,” Drake continues. “I mean, it’s still not great, but I guess I just learned to live with it. I mean, I kind of had to.”

“Everything you tell me about your childhood is super depressing,” Gosalyn informs him.

“Yeah, I know,” Drake says. “That’s why I don’t talk about it. The right now is much more fun.”

“Being a superhero must be pretty great,” Launchpad agrees.

“Having a _ boyfriend _is pretty great,” Drake says. The looks he and Launchpad give each other is filled with an indescribable amount of love. Lena fiddles with her cape.

“It’s weird to hear you guys talk about being kids,” Lena admits. “I never really stayed in one place long enough to see people grow up so I guess it’s hard to imagine that it like, really happens, you know?”

“Man, being fifteen for so long must be pretty weird,” Launchpad says. “I mean, if you started aging normally after Magica created you, we’d probably look about the same age now!”

Lena looks at Launchpad, then at her own hands, eyes wide.

“I could have been an adult,” she says, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

“You’re going to be an adult someday,” Drake says gently. Seeing Lena’s expression, he adds, “Hey, don’t worry. It’s not going to hurt.”

“Adults are different,” Lena says. She doesn’t know how to explain the urgency in her voice. Is she shaking? She shouldn’t be shaking. “Even I know that.”

“It’s okay if you’re afraid to grow up, you know,” Drake tells her. “Plenty of kids worry about stuff like that.”

Lena laughs. How could she worry about growing up when she had never even really gotten the chance to be a kid?

“Is it about Magica?” Launchpad guesses.

“I don’t really think I’m going to turn into her,” Lena says. “I mean, I guess I still could but… If I grow up, I’m going to forget things. I’ve never… There’s never been a time in my life where I looked back and thought, ‘man, can’t believe I was ever like that.’ I remember how it all felt. I know what it’s like to be fifteen and feel something. But I don’t know what it’s like to be sixteen and feel something else. But I’m going to be sixteen. What happens when I’m sixteen?”

“You remember everything?” Gosalyn asks. “Even stuff that happened a really long time ago?”

“It wasn’t that long for me,” Lena says. “Because it happened when I was fifteen. And I’m still fifteen. Of course I remember. I remember everything. I remember being born fifteen years ago and I remember Vi and Pink getting me out of the shadow realm, and I was fifteen when it all happened.”

“I can’t promise you you won’t forget anything,” Drake tells her. He reaches down to put a hand on her shoulder. “But forgetting isn’t always a bad thing. It’s why they say time heals all wounds, you know? It gives you perspective. And even if you don’t always remember what happened, it’ll still be a part of you. It just won’t be all there is to you.”

Lena takes a deep breath. She’s been fifteen for fifteen years. That’s a good number. And she’s almost sixteen now--or, she would be if she aged in the shadow realm. So she _ should _age now. It’s only right. She can’t be fifteen for sixteen years. It’s… asymmetrical. The only thing about Lena that’s allowed to be asymmetrical is her hair.

“Sorry,” Lena says. Her arm needs to stop shaking. She’s over this. Really, she is. “I guess it just… it bugged me more than I thought it would.”

“Hey, we’ve all got our triggers,” Launchpad tells her. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah,” Lena says. “I’m going to go to bed. Sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Launchpad says.

“Hey, if I had met you guys when you were kids,” Lena says. “And I was… you know, acting how I used to. Do you think you still would’ve let me stay?”

“Of course,” Drake and Launchpad both say. The answer is immediate. 

“We’re happy you’re here,” Launchpad says. “And nothing’s gonna change that.”

  
  
  
  


** _Darkwing Duck episode xx: Life, the Negaverse, and a Dream_ **

_ Exterior, day. _

_ DARKWING DUCK stands in front of NEGA GOSALYN. He has just rescued her from the clutches of NEGADUCK, lord of this backwards dimension. As they take a moment to rest, DARKWING comforts the young girl with a fatherly embrace. _

_ DARKWING _

_ I know it must have been hard, living with someone so cruel, but I promise you you’ll never have to see him again. _

_ NEGA GOSALYN _

_ He was so mean, Darkwing! And every day, he told me that if I wasn’t just as rude and messy as him, he’d get rid of me. I thought one day I’d wake up and he’d dye my pretty little dress black and that’d be the end of all the nice colors in my life, and maybe that would even be the end of me. _

_ DARKWING _

_ You’re nothing like him, sweetheart. You’ve got the makings of a great hero. And I would know! _

_ NEGA GOSALYN smiles at the duck in front of her _

_ NEGA GOSALYN _

_ I’m really glad you’re real, Darkwing. I kept hoping you’d come find me. I knew he couldn’t be my real family! I just knew it. _

_ DARKWING _

_ Lena, as long as I’m around, you’ll always have a family. I promise. _

_ DARKWING DUCK turns to look at the camera. Had GOSALYN’S curls always been dyed pink at the bottom? It doesn’t matter now. _

_ Because it’s time to wake up. _

  
  
  
  


Lena wakes up in the middle of the night from a dream she can’t quite remember. For some reason, she’s thinking about Darkwing Duck, and the way the show ended. Launchpad had told her that a pretty common fan theory had been that the other Darkwing was from a different universe. There were clues, he said, if you knew where to look. No one liked thinking about _ Time and Punishment, _but the episode had proved that there could be two versions of Darkwing in one place.

Launchpad had thought that the Darkwing introduced in the finale wasn’t even really Darkwing at all, not how the show knew him. There wasn’t one event that made him bad, it was the universe. A universe full of people making the wrong choices, over and over. The Darkwing in that universe wasn’t any good, because there wasn’t any place for goodness.

But even if that was the case Lena thought that there had to still be plenty of good people. There just wasn’t any room for them to learn how to be what the city needed. It must be lonely, living in a city that has no use for kindness.

Living with a family that believes that.

Drake’s still up, somehow. He’s going over security footage in the living room. Lena can’t really tell what store, but it’s definitely being attacked by a duck with a chainsaw.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Drake asks. He motions for her to join him on the couch he’s sitting on, so Lena does.

“Do you ever worry about the people who bullied you as a kid finding you?” Lena asks quietly.

“They wouldn’t remember me,” Drake says. He pauses the footage. Rewinds. Plays again. “Even if they did, I’m a completely different duck now. New name and everything. Guess that’s one of the perks of transitioning.”

“Oh,” Lena says. “You’re like Launchpad. That’s cool.”

“It’s very cool,” Drake agrees. There’s a slight smirk on his beak.

“Magica works at Funso’s,” Lena says. “She found me when I was staying with Webby. She could probably find me now.”

“Do you think she will?”

“I think she knows she can’t do anything to me,” Lena says. “But she’s still _ here. _I could just, you know, see her jaywalking in the middle of the day. It’s like we’re one degree separated, but that’s not enough. And I don’t know how to fix that.”

Drake nods his head, but doesn’t say anything.

“I know when I was born, you know,” Lena says suddenly. “I feel like everyone thinks I’m guessing my age, but honestly, it’s hard to forget. It just never felt like my day. I mean, what’s me getting older compared to the great and powerful Magica losing some stupid battle?”

“Geez,” Drake says. “Well, if Launchpad was awake, he’d probably tell you to just… pick a different day.”

“I can’t do that,” Lena says. “I mean. Beakley just put the day I can back from the shadow realm down as my birthday, but that doesn’t make it the right day.”

“Says who?” Drake demands. “The birthday police?”

Lena laughs.

“Here’s the most important lesson I learned about growing up,” Drake tells her. “If you don’t like something, it doesn’t have to be a part of you.”

“It can’t be that simple.”

“I never said it simple,” Drake tells her. “It’s a process. But it’s a process that starts with you deciding who you are.”

“I’m…,” Lena pauses.

Well. That was a good question. Who _ was _she?

“I’m Lena McQuack,” Lena says. “And I’m the greatest witch I know.”


End file.
